


Phantom Injuries

by Kiiyarayne



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-03 09:30:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14566080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiiyarayne/pseuds/Kiiyarayne
Summary: Soulmates share their injuries. Some people wind up riddled with scars from their soulmate's shenanigans, others get off lighter. Prince Ling of the Yao clan had always figured he didn't have a soulmate, until one fateful night when his attempted alchemy's biggest taboo.





	1. It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Eyyy, so this is my first fanfic in quite a while, and it's my first-ever FMA fanfic. I hope you enjoy!

Ling woke up screaming. For a few panicked moments, he was positive that he was being assassinated for real this time. But when Lan Fan and Fu were at his side asking if he was alright, and he couldn't see anyone else around, he realized that it was something else happening. Something far, far worse.

For years Ling had thought that maybe he didn't really have a soulmate. He got the occasional nick and cut and bruise that he didn't remember having, but those could easily be explained away. As he tore the covers on his bed away from his legs, he saw thousands of little rectangular marks on his left leg. Although the marks were tiny, they were bleeding profusely. Worse—he couldn't quite feel his leg, either. What the devil had his soulmate gotten into?

Just as Ling was starting to calm down, with Fu and Lan Fan staunching the bleeding on his leg, he could _see_ the same thing happen again—this time to his right arm. From the fingertips on up, all the way to his shoulder. All in the same, distinctive rectangular marks that looked like they were just on the surface. It happened so quickly that Ling wasn't sure how to process it other than by screaming again.

He was a prince, yes, but he doubted any of his siblings would ever have to endure what he just went through. He was allowed to be an 11 year old child and freak out for this brief a time period, right?

When morning came around, Ling was still in tears, clutching his numb and useless limbs close to his body and wondering how he would ever be able to rise to the throne. If he would ever see his soulmate after what had happened the night before.

 

* * *

 

It took weeks for Ling to recover. Mercifully, people saw a crippled prince and assumed he'd never make it on his own. The assassination attempts slowed down—most people merely figured that he wouldn't be a threat anymore. But Fu and Lan Fan were indispensable to his recovery, and kept him protected from the ones who either didn't believe he'd stay down for long, or who wanted him out of the way permanently and thought to take advantage of him while he was incapacitated.

"My Lord, you shouldn't push yourself so much," Lan Fan fretted. She was younger than Ling, but already so much more skilled at protecting him than most of the other bodyguards of the Yao clan could ever hope to be. It was because she cared so much that she fought. They were like siblings… Or rather, what Ling assumed siblings should be like. The royal family of Xing was a mess, and he didn't really have any proper frame of reference for normal family dynamics than what Lan Fan and Fu gave him.

Ling smiled, reaching up with his bad arm and weakly shoving Lan Fan away. "You worry too much. I can walk now, can't I? And I'm regaining strength in my right arm…" Although he strongly considered learning how to wield a sword with his left, so that his lowered strength wouldn't slow him down any.

He looked over at Lan Fan just in time to try and jump out of the way as she aimed a kick at his torso. Apparently, it was sudden training time, and he failed the test Lan Fan was giving him. He couldn't even dodge, and with his leg about to give out on him, he very nearly made it worse by being at the right height to have her kick him in the head. "What was that about me pushing myself too much?" he asked, raising his hands in surrender.

"You're right. We need to get you better as quickly as possible. Pick yourself up. We need to find out what happened to your soulmate so we can get _you_ back to full strength."

It hadn't even occurred to Ling that he should find out what happened to his soulmate in order to heal himself. His arm and leg were still _there_ , just weakened. And he was recovering from the blood loss fairly well, too. "Alright. Let's go."

As it turned out, the key to what had happened to Ling's soulmate was in the strange, rectangular marks. It looked, to the healers, like some kind of alkahestry. Or possibly Amistrisian alchemy. But whatever had happened to his soulmate, it had left them without an arm or a leg entirely. Suddenly, it made sense as to why he could barely move his own limbs—his body thought that he didn't have them, thanks to the injuries his soulmate had sustained. Getting back to full strength? Not impossible, but not likely, either.

Ling started practicing his swordsmanship with his left hand the same day. Lan Fan and Fu both agreed it would be for the best.

 

* * *

 

Although Ling occasionally had to deal with sharp, stabbing pains in his mostly numb arm and leg, he was getting back to fully-functional. The reality after a few months of training that he may never be completely healed himself was starting to sink in, but he was determined to survive come hell or high water.

The next time he figured his soulmate got hurt was in the middle of an assassination attempt—the worst possible timing ever. Fortunately, when he dropped to the ground due to the excruciating pain in his shoulder, it was the _right_ timing to avoid a sword swinging in his face. Lan Fan was quick to take over, while Fu pulled him off to safety.

Whatever was going on, it was worse than the pain of losing an arm and a leg, and it lasted for nearly a full day-night cycle. Surgery, Fu guessed. Maybe because the wounds had gone gangrenous? Ling's heart ached, and he hoped that his soulmate would pull through. Although the shared injuries that soulmates had rarely proved fatal for the other half, some people with stronger bonds… weren't so lucky. Given the amount of blood Ling had lost when his soulmate lost an arm and a leg, he'd guess that they were more deeply connected than most.

Within a week, the pain had mostly subsided into a constant, dull ache. Terrible, but not unbearable. And the pain was a reminder that at least his soulmate was still _alive_ , still toughing it out somehow. It gave Ling hope—if his soulmate could pull through this, so could he. They _would_ meet, someday. Somehow. And Ling was going to beat the shit out of his soulmate for being so stupid as to lose an arm and a leg at such a young age.

At the end of the week, though, something amazing happened. There was a horrible, electric sensation that ran down his left leg, causing him to visibly flinch. But after, he could _feel_ his leg again. Had the doctors treating his soulmate found a way to give him a new leg? Would that mean his soulmate would gain a new arm, too?

Sure enough, he waited a few more minutes, and that electric pain coursed through his shoulder and into his right arm before he started to feel _connected_ to himself again. It was a miracle of some kind. But even with that, Ling talked with Lan Fan and Fu about keeping up with his swordsmanship training with his left hand. Just in case. Both agreed that it would be wise. Without knowing the circumstances of his soulmate's injuries and newfound healing, there was no telling if Ling's arm might give out again in the middle of a fight.

That turned out to be for the best, as he would find out over the next couple of years.


	2. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to kind_of_heart for helping me figure out where the HECK I'm gonna go with this story! And thank all of you who commented, you really gave me the inspiration to keep going with this :3

It had taken an amazingly short period of time for Ed to get the hang of moving his new automail arm and leg. Did it still hurt like a bitch? Oh yeah, definitely, but he was walking again with the aid of a crutch, and could start handling things with his right hand—albeit very clumsily. Thankfully, Pinako and Winry didn't allow him to pick up anything fragile. They'd been through this enough times to know what not to do.

Still, Ed's progress seemed to impress Winry, although Pinako had probably been around long enough to have seen similar leaps and bounds before. Just. Not very often, is what he was guessing.

(Although, to be fair, literal 'leaps and bounds' was definitely not what Ed had wound up doing yet. He was lucky to pick up a fork without either dropping or bending it within a minute or two. Pinako was not pleased with the amount of silverware she'd had to replace for him so far.)

"Brother, are you sure you should be walking right now?" Alphonse followed Ed as he limped through the house in the dead of night. Of _course_ Al was awake. Al hadn't slept since becoming a suit of armor. And honestly, Ed didn't particularly feel like being dragged back into bed by force.

"It's better than sitting in bed staring at the ceiling because it hurts too much to sleep." At least if he was in pain while walking, he could bear it. But pain-induced insomnia while just _laying_ there in bed doing nothing? That was something he couldn't stand. He'd push himself until he passed out if he had to, if that was what it took for him to be able to actually _sleep_ , even with how tired he generally was already.

Al went quiet, then extended his hand for Ed to take. "Why don't we go outside for a bit? I can hear the crickets chirping pretty regularly, so that must mean it's warm out."

For a few brief moments, Ed wondered what the heck Al was talking about, before remembering their stint in the wilderness for alchemy training. On the colder nights, he could barely hear the crickets chirping, but when it was warm they made a lot of noise. Which meant that Al, even though he couldn't _feel_ how warm or cold it was outside, was still trying to keep Ed's comfort in mind.

Ed tried to blink away tears, before just giving in and hugging his brother. He'd done this to Alphonse. He'd make it _right_ , somehow. Whatever it took. "Thanks, Al."

Cold metal wrapped around Ed's torso, holding him close for a few minutes. "I'm sorry I can't do more."

"You don't have to. This was my idea. I'll be the one to find a way to make it right."

As Ed pulled away, Al put his hand on his older brother's head. "You don't have to do that alone. I'll be right beside you. Like I always have been."

This time, Ed couldn't stop himself from crying. He wiped at his eyes with his automail arm, even though the slightly chilled metal was uncomfortable and unyielding against his flesh and bone body. His left arm, the real arm, still held onto Al for balance. "I'm so sorry, Al. I'm so sorry."

 

* * *

 

The thought of soulmates hadn't crossed Ed's mind for quite some time. He'd been preoccupied with other things, like attempting alchemy's biggest taboo—and after that, with what he'd done to his brother and himself. Even now, most of the phantom pains he got he chalked up to his missing limbs and the recovery from his automail surgery.

Soulmates were very suddenly at the forefront of his mind when he felt what he _thought_ was a phantom pain in his left leg, but when blood started pouring from his stump and coating the automail leg underneath, he shouted for Winry and Pinako's help.

"Hmm, it's not infected, and nothing seems to be loose. My best guess is that your soulmate got hurt. See here?" Pinako pointed to where the blood was still seeping out. "That's the femoral artery. A deep cut there could leave you bleeding to death. Your soulmate may be seriously injured. And with you losing that leg, they might not even notice how badly they're injured yet. When one soulmate loses a limb, the other half… well, let's just say they feel numb most of the time where their soulmate's amputation is."

"What?! But…" Ed bit his lip, before trying to swing his legs around off the couch so he could get moving. "Granny, we have to go find my soulmate! They could be in danger!" But he was still too weak, and Winry pushed him down.

"Ed, you're not going anywhere! You don't even know who your soulmate is or what they look like or where they even live! You'll just hurt _yourself_ even more, and who knows what kind of things that will do to your soulmate if they're already seriously injured."

"But—"

Ed was interrupted very abruptly by Alphonse, who was physically able to pick Ed up and keep him from doing anything stupid. "No, Brother. You have to stay here. I know you don't want your soulmate getting any more hurt than they might be already, but you can't do anything to help, either…"

"That's not… that's not _fair_ …" Ed finally gave up fighting, going limp in Alphonse's hold. "They shouldn't have to go through what I am. That's my own fault, not their's."

Al waited a few more moments before setting Ed back down on the couch, while Pinako pressed a bloodied towel against the wound Ed had gotten from his soulmate. "No one said it was fair, Ed. But that's just the way these things are. Now stay still or you'll open it back up again."

Gritting his teeth, Ed nodded. He'd lived through worse pain. He wasn't going to let his soulmate get hurt unnecessarily from here on out. He had an obligation to them, too, not just Al.

 

* * *

 

Amazingly, a year passed without further incident, although Ed kept a careful eye on his own body to see and make sure that nothing out of the ordinary happened. He had the occasional bruise and cut that definitely weren't from sparring with Al, so at least he knew his soulmate survived. It was a relief, really, to know that his soulmate was still out there. His own personal fuckups shouldn't have had to drag them into a world of pain.

Ed waved goodbye to Winry and Pinako as they started off. Winry cupped her hands around her mouth and called out to him. "Hey Ed, if you meet your soulmate, give him a kiss for me!"

"Excuse you, Winry? What makes you so certain my soulmate is a guy, huh?" Ed shouted back, flipping her off in the process. He wasn't mad at _her_ , just at the assumption that she knew his type.

(She wasn't wrong, though)

Beside him, Alphonse laughed and waved in his own turn. "Thank you so much for helping Brother out! I'll take good care of him!"

"Oi, Al. What's that supposed to mean?" Ed fumed, giving the stinkeye to his brother.

They continued to have an argument on the finer details of who was really looking out for whom all the way to the train station.

The train ride itself wasn't too terrible, if a bit boring. Honestly, Ed had no idea what kind of exam he'd be given in order to become a State Alchemist. "Hey Alphonse. What kind of test do you think they'll give me? Do you think there'll be fighting involved?"

Even though he'd gotten better at sparring against Al, Ed couldn't help but doubt himself. Pinako had said it would take him three years to fully recover from surgery. Sure, he could've not pushed himself and taken his time, but he was both impatient and impetuous—a horrible combination that left him wondering if maybe he'd have done better to at least wait another six months to make sure he was _really_ ready.

"I don't know. There's all sorts of different types of State Alchemists. Some fight, some are more scholars. I think you'll be tested based on what you're best at, though." Surprisingly, Al's logic helped to soothe Ed's nerves. This wouldn't be some school exam, where they tested him on how many subjects he knew. No, this would be where he would determine his _specialty_.

"What do you think I'm best at, Al?" Maybe getting someone else's opinion, rather than trying to rack his own brain for ideas that might misdirect him, would help keep him on track.

Al went quiet for a few moments, before nodding and turning back towards Ed, the glow in his eyes brighter. "Well, you're the only alchemist I've seen besides our Sensei that can use alchemy without a transmutation circle."

_'Shit. Right. Because I saw the Truth…'_ Ed thought to himself. Not many alchemists would be able to pull off doing something like that. It made him versatile, faster than other alchemists who needed pre-drawn transmutation circles to declare their intent, their specialty.

Ed didn't _need_ any of that. He just had to… clap his hands, and he was done.

"Thanks, Al. I think I know what I'm going to do, now."


	3. Interlude 1

One thing Greed loved more than most others was  _ information _ . Knowledge was power, or so the saying went. If he knew some deep dark secret about someone, he knew how to manipulate them. They became  _ his _ . And really, wasn't that his entire purpose in this life? To make everything  _ his _ ? He was Lord of the Devil's Nest right now, and learned everything there was to hear about the goings on in his ever-expanding territory.

What worried him, then, was the knowledge that others were expanding on what was  _ his _ . Not quickly, mind, at least not by human standards. But faster than he'd like—which was to say, that it was happening at all. If Lust and Envy were behind the current whispers… Well, that wouldn't do, would it?

For now, much as it rankled him, he would wait and see what happened. Something was bound to give sooner or later, and Greed was determined that it wouldn't be him. There was something insidious going on, and he wanted no part of it.

 

* * *

 

Years passed without too much incident. Ed got his certification as a State Alchemist, easily enough that it almost surprised him. He even got a blessing from the Fuhrer, King Bradley! It was… almost like a blur, to be honest. And Ed's fame easily grew—the Fullmetal Alchemist, the youngest State Alchemist in the history of Amestris.

Ed was very diligent, after the incident with his soulmate's serious leg injury, in taking care of himself. He'd grown up without caring so much about himself, and before then, he'd taken a lot of things onto himself to protect Alphonse. He'd still die for his brother, though, and hopefully his soulmate would understand that, if they ever met.

He'd been thinking a lot about soulmates lately. Like what his would be going through if something happened to him. Even Al had brought up his worry about what might be going on with his own soulmate, based on what had happened to his body. There was a lot to think about for their circumstances, and the bond between soulmates still wasn't entirely understood by alchemists. As far as Ed and Al could tell, the current working theory was that some people had souls so deeply connected, they might as well be one. And when that happened, their bodies either couldn't distinguish between the pain each half went through, or that their souls projected those injuries onto each other. Both were popular ideas.

Ed didn't want to test those theories for the most part. He didn't want to put his soulmate through more pain than he had to.

 

* * *

 

Ling had healed quickly from the failed attempt on his life. Thankfully, once the bleeding stopped, the pain was nowhere near as awful as the pain he got from his soulmate. Speaking of, Ling was determined to smack his soulmate on the head for putting them both through so much pain, even though he'd wind up feeling the sting himself.

If the two of them ever met, of course. Ling had been searching all of Xing to try and find someone who lost their right arm and left leg on that fateful night and later went through surgery on them. Not a shred of evidence that anyone had.

Maybe he'd have to go out of the country? Hmm, something to consider. Ling had been thinking on doing something like that anyway to try and find the key to immortality. If he could find that  _ and _ his soulmate while across the desert, maybe it would be worth it…

He'd have to talk that over with Fu and Lan Fan. At the very least, it might keep him away from some of the assassins. Surely they'd agree to it for no other reason than that. But… He'd have to keep his mission to find his soulmate a secret from them. Somehow he doubted that they would approve of him leaving the country for that reason.

A soulmate was leverage against a potential heir to the throne. Especially one that was presumably weak after losing two entire limbs. Or so Fu and Lan Fan would chastise him with. Ling wasn't so sure about his soulmate being weak, though. Not all of his pains could be explained as phantom limb pain from his other half. No, he would never accept anyone with less than a fighting spirit to be his soulmate. They would never last against him.

 

* * *

 

"Lust, I'm hungry."

Lust sighed, brushing her hair away from her face and placing a hand on Gluttony's bald head. "You're always hungry. But you can't eat these humans, Gluttony. They're important."

Gluttony looked back to the injured humans, watching the blood drip from their living, writhing bodies into the transmutation circle below them. "Can I eat them when we're done?"

There was a soft hum as Lust thought it over. "We'll see. If this one turns out right, then maybe. If not…" She patted Gluttony's head fondly. This was her brother, of sorts. And she would, occasionally, indulge him. "Then you can have one. But just one, okay?"

Gluttony's face split into a wide grin. He didn't always understand the plans that Lust, Envy, Pride and Wrath came up with, but he was still part of their family and they allowed him to help. But Lust was his only sister, so of course she was his favorite, and probably always would be.

Even if soon he might be getting still more family…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where things start to get plot-divergent. Enjoy!


	4. Miasma

"My Lord, this place feels… strange. I think we should move on from here as soon as we can." Lan Fan's worry wasn't entirely unfounded—Ling could feel something odd himself in the ruins around the three of them. The former kingdom of Xerxes, brought to dust seemingly overnight. Or so the legend went. Based on how heavy the energy of the Dragon's Pulse felt in the dry desert air? Ling thought there was more truth to the legend than myth.

Fu motioned from up ahead, calling Ling and Lan Fan closer. "There's a well up ahead. We should see if it's dried out or poisoned. If not, we can refill our water supplies here before continuing west through to Amestris."

"Good idea, Fu." Ling smiled, relieved that at least there seemed to be some kind of potentially good news about this place. If there _was_ water, and it was fine to drink, then there was hope that they could actually make it through the desert. Feeling a bit lighter now, Ling was able to push himself just that little bit further through the miasma surrounding them.

Fu and Lan Fan reached the well first, and Ling saw Fu drop a stone down into the opening. Several seconds passed, but eventually, even Ling heard the distinctive sound of the stone hitting liquid at the bottom of the well. With all three of them exchanging hopeful looks at each other, Lan Fan pulled out some rope. Luckily, there was a metal bucket already sitting near the well when they got there, old and obviously battered, left there by the people who lived in this land centuries ago. There was only a little rust, near where the handle connected to the body, but Ling declared the possibility of water worth the risk of losing the bucket itself in the event it couldn't handle the weight.

While Fu lowered the rope down the well, Ling couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he got from the area. There was something definitely wrong here, and he couldn't wait to get refilled on water—assuming it was safe to drink—and get the hell out of the ruins. The bucket was just starting to be hauled up when the unexpected started happening to Ling.

His idiotic soulmate again, doing something to get themselves hurt. But what? Maybe it was the feeling of miasma from his surroundings, but Ling couldn't help but feel like there was something else going on with his soulmate. Something different than the usual small cuts and bruises and occasional arm going numb. Something that was putting his soulmate in mortal danger…

Ling rubbed at his chest, trying to stop the ache there as he thought about the possibility of losing his soulmate before ever even meeting them. No, he wouldn't allow it to happen. _'Come on, soulmate. You're a fighter, right? You wouldn't keep getting into all this trouble if you weren't. You survived losing an arm and a leg, you can survive this.'_

"My Lord, this isn't water!" Lan Fan cried out, drawing Ling's attention away from what was going on with his soulmate. When he turned around, the bucket that Fu had been drawing up was overflowing with red, viscous fluid that stank of rot and iron.

"What the hell?" Ling's eyebrows drew together. This was a horrible place, it was confirmed. "Come on, let's get out of here, this place is cursed…"

Lan Fan and Fu nodded in agreement, Fu untying the bloodied end of the rope from the bucket's handle as quickly as he could. Ling stood up, trying to stretch out the aches from whatever his soulmate was getting into before they moved on. It was apparently only another week's travel to Amestris. If they rationed their water and food, they could make it. They had this.

"My Lord, you're bruising…" Lan Fan reached out to touch the blooming purple bruise on his side. "Are you injured? Or is it your soulmate?"

Ling brushed her hair away from her face, smiling. She cared so much about him, even though she knew they weren't soulmates. Maybe, if he failed to find his soulmate in Amestris, he'd help her find her own. "Don't worry about me, it's my dumb soulmate again. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they were always getting in fights." He didn't know how, with them supposedly missing an arm and a leg, but it was a comfort to think of, actually. That fighting spirit that he would love to see, facing off against insurmountable odds and still managing to come out on top.

As he pulled his hand back, Ling's arm went completely numb, save for the jolting, electric pain going through his nerves. He visibly flinched, gritting his teeth to keep from crying out in pain. It wasn't the worst pain he'd ever felt, but it was bad. "Okay, what's that idiot up to now?" he spat, repositioning his arm into the sling he kept on him just in case his soulmate did something stupid again. Like, oh, whatever he was getting into at the current moment.

Lan Fan helped Ling with his bad arm, then looked back at the bucket of blood that had been brought up from the well. "You're right, My Lord. This place is cursed. The sooner we get out of this desert, the better…"

 

* * *

 

Ling didn't particularly like to steal food, but at the same time he wasn't above doing it, either. Lan Fan, Fu, and Ling had all been trying to avoid the Amestrisian military up to this point. After all, they were in the country illegally. Still, getting by was hard work. The worst part was that he felt like he'd come no closer to obtaining the secret to immortality since leaving home, leaving Lan Fan and Fu wanting him to return home.

But there were two things that finally made him decide to stay. The first was a few whispers here and there he'd picked up about something called the Philosopher's Stone, which could both lend immeasurable power to the alchemy of this land, and grant immortality to its wielder. The second was the discovery of something called 'automail,' which let an amputee treat a mechanical limb as though it were their own.

A clue about immortality and a clue to his soulmate. Automail surgery was apparently one of the most painful and lengthy processes around, and recovery took years. _'I knew my soulmate was a fighter. That must have been the surgery they went through a few years ago. They must still be fighting, breaking their automail in the process.'_ In a way, Ling was proud of them. It was hope that he didn't have a soulmate that wouldn't be able to keep up with the demands of being an Emperor's spouse.

The next clue came to him that Rush Valley was _the_ place to go for anything related to automail. Lan Fan and Fu didn't particularly approve, but at the same time there was no way that Ling was going to pass up an opportunity to at least _look_ for his soulmate. Fu and Lan Fan would have to deal—they were his subordinates, not his caretakers, no matter how often he normally took their advice to heart.

Rush Valley itself, though… Ling had never seen so many amputees, and after talking to a few people about how automail and soulmates worked together, he became more convinced than ever that his own soulmate had automail limbs. Apparently the electric shock he felt from time to time was when a new limb disconnected form or connected to the nerves. Something rarely felt in soulmates, except for those who's souls were more closely bound than most. But then again, Ling had thought for quite some time that he and his soulmate were more connected than the average person.

"My Lord, look!" Lan Fan pointed at seemingly a random blond young man his own age. Ling didn't see what was so special about him, until he looked closer at the young man's face. Gold eyes… He could almost feel his heart skip a beat at that realization.

"A Golden Person. Should we take the risk?" Even if it was just superstition and legend, this was the first person Ling had run into with both golden blond hair and golden eyes. If the legends were true, he might find more from this Golden Person than from the average alchemist.

Fu nodded. "I think we should. Worst case, he doesn't know anything."

Ling agreed, so he sent Lan Fan and Fu to hide while he formulated a plan. Hopefully this would work.

 

* * *

 

It worked like a fucking charm. The armored brother picked Ling up and the Golden Person took him to get something to eat. Which was… Well, honestly, a refreshing treat. Ling hadn't eaten a full, proper meal since he'd left Xing. The food in Rush Valley, when obtained legitimately instead of stolen from out back, was delicious and hot. Moreover, the ever-gnawing hole in his stomach was filled, at least for a little while. "Thank you so much for treating me to this wonderful meal."

"Hey! I didn't say anything about paying for this!" Despite his regrettably forgettable height, this Golden Person—Edward Elric, as he called himself—was definitely a feisty one. Time to deflect some of that anger. Someone who genuinely didn't care about other people wouldn't have taken a presumably-starving man to get food and then stick said starving man with the bill, and Edward didn't seem the type to be genuinely uncaring.

Ling stretched out, smiling widely. "Foreign lands sure are hospitable, it's a refreshing sight for a traveler like me."

The armored brother—Alphonse—took the bait and derailed Edward's irritation. "You're a foreigner? Where are you from? You don't look much older than us, do your parents know you're here?"

Admitting that Ling was from Xing wasn't a problem. It was how to avoid the question of parentage that was a problem. Thankfully, Ling was a quick thinker, it had always been one of his strong points. "I'm from Xing. I don't really see much of my parents, though. My mother's busy all the time and sometimes I think my father doesn't even know I exist." It wasn't a lie, except by omission. The statements themselves were perfectly true, it was the matter of who his parents happened to be that he'd gloss over.

"Xing? But I didn't think there were that many trade routes between Amestris and Xing. You would've had to cross the desert, wouldn't you?" Sure enough, Edward's anger melted away, replaced with curiosity about where Ling had come from.

Ling had to suppress a shudder at the thought of what he'd found in the desert. Sure, he'd wanted to see the ruins of Xerxes on the way to Amestris, but the awful, heavy presence of whatever horrible thing that had happened there would haunt him for some time to come still. Hopefully, Edward and Alphonse didn't see his reaction. "Yeah, I did. But it was worth it to come here." To finally learn something concrete about his soulmate, and get some leads on his quest for immortality.

"Why'd you come, anyway?" Edward asked, resting his chin in his hands—one of them automail, even. Lord, everyone in Rush Valley had automail. Finding his soulmate would be like finding a needle in a haystack here. But he had to pump Edward for information before he could focus on finding his soulmate, though.

"Oh, I came looking for something related to alkahestry. I think you call it alchemy, over here." Interesting how, as soon as alchemy was mentioned, both brothers seemed to perk up. Maybe Edward did know something, after all?

"Maybe, we're alchemists, so we might be able to at least point you in the right direction." Alphonse's answer was _exactly_ what Ling was hoping to hear.

Ling's grin widened. "Well in that case, how can I refuse your generous help? I'm looking for a Philosopher's Stone. Do you know where I can find one?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so, I'm getting ready to move across the country next week, so I may not be churning out chapters as quickly as I have been until after I'm settled in. I'm really enjoying working on this fic though, and I'm super grateful to everyone who's given me feedback on my characterization so far!


	5. Promises, Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what happens when I have insomnia. I get ideas for how conversations go in the middle of the night and then spend hours writing them until, before I know it, the sun has risen over the horizon. I hope u guys are happy with this chapter.

"Well in that case, how can I refuse your generous help? I'm looking for a Philosopher's Stone. Do you know where I can find one?"

No way. Ed's hands clenched together, nails biting into his left palm and metal creaking on his right as he tried to restrain himself from punching Ling. That was too close to home, too soon after what he and Al had found out. Ed forced himself to relax, knowing that Ling had no way of realizing what kind of horror he was asking about. "Sorry, can't help you with that."

Ed stood up, ready to leave. "Come on, Al, we should check back with Winry." Let this guy deal with his own bill—Ed didn't plan on helping him any more than he had to. As he was walking away, Ed heard Ling snap his fingers. Not that he paid it much mind, but when he felt a blade against his throat, Ed went very still.

"I think you _can_ help me with this, Edward. We don't have to shed any blood here, do we? I'd rather not—my soulmate's already gone through enough and I don't want to add onto whatever they're feeling. Let's just talk."

Ed glanced to the side, to look at Alphonse also being threatened. Not that those puny blades would do anything to hurt Al without alchemy involved. He'd have fought, but the mention of soulmates reigned him in. He might be able to do this peacefully, and resort to violence only if things went bad.

"… Fine. I'll talk, but _only_ if you call your… whoever they are off me and my brother."

Al looked over, the glow in his armor's eyes bright against even the midday sun. "Brother! What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about _my_ soulmate! Don't you think they've gone through hell too? Feeling it when I—" Ed caught himself, shaking his head and turning back to Ling. Bodyguards or no, he wasn't afraid. "I'll talk, but not in public, and _definitely_ not with your guard dogs threatening me or my brother."

Ling crossed his arms, seeming to study Ed for a few moments before nodding. "Lan Fan. Fu. Find us someplace safe to talk." Both of Ling's flunkies nodded, before disappearing as swiftly as they'd appeared. It was almost impressive. "You did the right thing, thinking about your soulmate first. God willing, I'll be able to find mine while I'm here."

"You haven't met yours yet, either?" Al asked. Neither Ed nor Al had had any luck finding theirs, and Al was, understandably, worried about how his lack of any body at all was affecting his soulmate. They probably thought Al was dead entirely.

"Mm, no. But I think I'll find them here in Rush Valley." Ling's features softened—even if he _was_ a potential enemy, it was clear to Ed that he cared deeply about this unknown person.

It took a few moments for the implications of Ling's words to sink in, though. "Ohhh, your soulmate must have automail! It's pretty great, if you can get through the… surgery…" Ed had been knocked out during his surgery. Ling may not have had that luxury. "… How old were you when your soulmate went through automail surgery?"

"Eleven." So, the same age as Ed, then. God, that had to have been awful, going through something that invasive with no sedatives or painkillers.

"I'm sorry. That's how old I was when I got my automail surgery. There's a lot of people in Amestris that were hurt during the war in Ishval, so there's a lot of people with automail around. Good luck finding your soulmate. I mean that. Really."

When Ling smiled, it seemed… genuine. Like he wasn't hiding anything and was just happy to have someone wishing him luck on an impossible task. "Thank you. Ah, Lan Fan! That was fast. Did you and Fu find somewhere Edward, Alphonse and I can talk in private?"

The voice that came out from behind the mask surprised Ed—a girl's voice. What she said was even more surprising. "Yes, My Lord." So, Ling was someone _important_ from Xing. That could explain a lot, potentially. Ed would have to ask some questions himself if he was going to trust Ling with any information at all about the Philosopher's Stone, even as minute as what it even did. He didn't want the secret behind the Stone falling into the hands of a potentially hostile foreign power.

Just as Ed and Al were getting ready to follow Ling, he felt someone tapping him on the shoulder. "Huh?" he turned around, only to come face to face with an exorbitant bill for all the food Ling had eaten.

"Someone's going to have to pay for this, short-stack."

 

* * *

 

The hotel room that Ling's flunky took them to _also_ had to be paid for by Ed, although that was a somewhat more reasonable amount than Ling's lunch. But it was quiet and the walls were thick enough that they wouldn't be overheard. "Alright. Why don't we start with proper introductions? My name is Ling Yao, I'm—"

"Someone politically important in Xing, I've figured that much out. What connections do you have to the Xingese military?" Ed demanded, only to be greeted by a masked face right in front of his own.

"Lan Fan, that's not necessary." As soon as Ling said that, the bodyguard backed away, settling into position crouched in the window behind her master. Waiting. Ed didn't know where the other one was.

"Fu is up on the roof, keeping a lookout for attackers. In case you were wondering." Ling smiled, then sat on the bed and motioned to the two chairs that had been brought up for the conversation. "You want to know what connections I have to the military? Almost all you can think of. I'm a prince of Xing, one of forty-three potential heirs to the throne. My siblings all want to take the throne from my father, the emperor."

A prince? Ed looked over at Al, trying to judge his brother's reaction through visual cues alone. That was a lot more unexpected than he'd thought. And the political state of Xing seemed to be pretty awful, if _forty-three_ people were all competing for the throne. Ling among them. "So why are you looking for a Philosopher's Stone, anyway? You're not an alchemist, are you?"

Ling shook his head. "I can feel and read the Dragon's Pulse commonly used in Xingese alkahestry so I can have an advantage in battle, but beyond that, it's mostly a field devoted to the healing arts. I'm looking for the Philosopher's Stone because I hear it can grant its wielder immortality. My father is in failing health, and has promised the throne to whoever can bring him the secret to eternal life. I intend to be the one to give it to him."

"You're going to have to find somewhere else to get it," Ed scowled, crossing his arms. "The Philosopher's Stone isn't something you should look into lightly. Al and I should know."

Al nodded in agreement. "It's dangerous, and not just because of what goes into it." Good to see Al was exercising discretion in not telling a foreign prince about the fact that the Amestrisian military was conducting experiments in making Philosopher's Stones. That was a state secret that Ed and Al should never have stumbled onto.

"Oh? What do you mean? What goes into it?" Ling's attention had certainly been captured now.

For a few moments, Ed and Al looked at each other. "Brother, I think it should be okay. He doesn't seem like a horrible person…"

"Yeah. He's never even met his soulmate and cares about not letting them get hurt. Could be worth it to tell him." Maybe the truth would scare him off.

"Hey hey, I'm missing out on something! What goes into a Philosopher's Stone?" Ling waved at the brothers, impatient for them to get to the point, probably.

Ed and Al nodded at each other, before turning back to Ling. "First, you have to promise you or your bodyguards won't tell _anyone_. On your word as a Xingese prince."

That made Ling stop in his tracks. "No one's made me make a promise on my word as a prince before. This is definitely a first. Alright. You have my word that me, Lan Fan, and Fu won't say anything to anyone."

There was a lot of hesitation before Ed finally spoke, even with the reassurance that Ling wouldn't say anything. "The ingredients for the Philosopher's Stone are live humans."

The room went deadly silent before anyone dared to speak up again. "My Lord?" The girl—Lan Fan, Ling called her—looked at Ling, although Ed couldn't tell whether she was concerned by this new revelation or if she was prepared to do whatever he said in order to obtain a Philosopher's Stone.

Ling, for his part, stayed silent, arms crossed and eyebrows drawn together in thought. "An emperor lives for his people. _Not_ the other way around. I can promise you, Edward, that in addition to not telling anyone, I will not look into how to _make_ a Philosopher's Stone."

Ed wasn't the only one who caught the wording Ling used there. Before he could say anything, Al did it for him. "But you're still going to go in search of one that's already made, aren't you?"

Holding up his hands, Ling smiled, although it seemed strained. "I'm going to try and find another means of obtaining immortality. However, if I have the opportunity to take a Philosopher's Stone that's already been made, I'm not going to pass it up, either. My country has a lot of issues that need addressing, and I'm not going to just sit by and let someone else steal the throne out from under me. I'll do what it takes to become emperor, but I intend to protect my people, not take advantage of them."

Much as Ed hated to admit it, he couldn't entirely fault Ling for his position. If the damage had already been done, there was no undoing it. Just because Ed and Al had decided between the two of them to find a different way to bring their bodies back didn't give them the right to judge Ling for seeing things pragmatically. If he really wanted to be Xing's next emperor, he had to consider what was best for his people first, and his own morals second. But… at least Ling _was_ concerned about his people. If Ed were forced to guess, not all of Ling's siblings were.

"I hope you know I won't be making it easy for you to find one," Ed looked at Ling, trying to get across how serious he was about not letting anyone exploit the power of the Philosopher's Stones.

Ling seemed surprised at first, before his smile came back, although a little less strained now. "You don't want me to abuse it if I get one. You have no reason to trust me. That's understandable. For now, I think it would be better if I left. Thank you, Ed, for being honest with me. I'm glad we could talk like this. I really didn't want to have to fight."

Ed found the corner of his mouth lifting, just a little. "Yeah. Me too. Honestly, it's a nice change of pace to talk things out instead of fight. Maybe next time we do it though, we could do _without_ the threats to me or my brother?" Okay, so he was still sore about all that. He had good reason to be.

"Okay, okay, maybe that was a little harsh of me to do. But we worked it out in the end, right?"

"Yeah, we did…" Hearing Ling admit that it wasn't strictly necessary, even if not in those exact words, helped to ease some of Ed's discomfort. He could still be mad about the fact that it happened, though. "Anyway, good luck on finding your soulmate. Hopefully they're someone who can keep up with the demands of being a potential emperor's spouse."

"No wishing me luck on finding the key to immortality?"

"No," Ed and Al said in unison. Even that Homunculus, Greed, had implied to Al that after two hundred years, he still hadn't found a way to be truly immortal. If someone with connections to the Stone like he had was still searching, then Ling was unlikely to find anything at all in this lifetime.


	6. Interlude 2

The attack on the Devil's Nest had gone with only two minor hiccups named the Elric brothers. Wrath had finally closed in on his older brother, the lost one that had decided to go out on his own away from the other Homunculi before Wrath was ever made. Away from _family_. But he'd made the mistake of finding two of the youngest and brightest State Alchemists to try and tease answers from. Wrath doubted that Greed had any idea that the Elric brothers were under the command of a Homunculus themselves.

The entire country was, which was exactly how Wrath wanted it.

"Oh? Everyone's here. But you… you're new." Greed's voice and arrogance was grating on Wrath's nerves. Whatever they were going to do with Greed, he hoped they would get it done quickly.

Lust stepped forward, placing a hand on Wrath's shoulder. "Now now, Wrath, we can't cut off his head. A lot of work went into making him, we can't just let that go to waste." Lust always seemed to know what was going through Wrath's head, but then, she knew him better than anyone but Pride.

"Then what do we do with him?" Envy asked, looking up to where Greed was bound and kept from forming his Ultimate Shield. "We can't let him get in the way."

It was Pride that stepped forward with a suggestion. "We reduce him down to his Philosopher's Stone. Get rid of his memories in the process. After that, maybe try what we did with Wrath." Ah, the experiments again. True, Wrath aged as a human did, but he was by far stronger and faster than any human he'd met to date. It put a damper on his conditional immortality, but when his human host died, it would only be a matter of putting him in someone new, someone young, and repeat the process. That way, his Philosopher's Stone would be safe in the hands of his siblings.

"Do you really think we can eliminate his memories?" Envy asked, rightly skeptical of the idea. Aside from that, reducing Greed down to his Philosopher's Stone was going to be a task, even for all of them put together. They'd have to weaken him until he reverted to just the Stone, and then find a way to keep him from reforming until such a time as they could reliably erase the old Greed and let him become the new one.

And there went that annoying laugh again. Wrath looked away from Pride, watching Greed as his 'brother' threw away all pretense of being anything more than a simple pest. Maybe it was for the better that the two of them had never met before now. Wrath didn't think he'd have been able to keep from killing the bastard more than a few times if they'd been in regular contact.

"What's so funny, Greed?" Lust asked, walking over to him and tracing a finger along his face.

Greed smirked, leaning over to try and bite at Lust for getting too close to him. "You guys haven't changed a bit. Always talking about me like I'm not around. Why do you think I went off on my own, hmm? Some _family_ you guys are. I made my own, without you." Greed's eyes narrowed and focused in on Wrath. "But you took them away from me. What was mine once will always be mine. Go ahead, try to make me forget. I'm _Greed_ , I won't let go of anything so easily. And those that hurt what's mine?"

Wrath turned away, walking out. He didn't want to hear the rest of this, it would just grate on his nerves even more. "Wrath, the Furious, huh? I'll pay you back for this. That's a promise!"

Finally, Greed shut up when Lust put her Spear through that annoying mouth of his. Blessed silence, with only the comforting drip of blood on the floor. Lust really did her best to hold the family together, but sometimes, there were those black sheep that refused to even try and get along with the rest.

Hopefully, Greed would be brought to his senses soon enough. Maybe he'd be a little less annoying afterward, too.


End file.
